Judge grants innocence certificate in 1957 Illinois killing
SYCAMORE, Ill. — An Illinois judge on Wednesday granted a certificate of innocence to a Washington state man who was wrongfully convicted in 2012 of the 1957 kidnapping and killing of a 7-year-old girl, clearing the way for him to sue Illinois.
Jack McCullough said at a hearing last week that he’s been portrayed as a monster and that people still think of him as one, and that he wants justice.
DeKalb County Associate Judge William Brady granted McCullough a certificate of innocence, which would allow him to sue Illinois for damages for wrongly convicting him in Maria Ridulph’s killing.
“Is it more likely that the defendant would be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, or is it more likely he would be found not guilty, and not responsible for Maria Ridulph’s disappearance and murder?” Brady said in explaining his decision. “Based on the changes in the law, and the consideration of the additional evidence now available to this court, the latter of these questions is true.”